Learned a weird lesson about lens fungus from a 1950s Kiev camera

Picked up a beat up Kiev 4 at a garage sale last month for $15. Figured it would be a fun project to clean up, maybe get it working. When I opened it up, the lens had this thick web of fungus inside, like someone left it in a damp basement for decades. I almost tossed the whole thing, but an old repair guide I found online mentioned something I never knew. Apparently, some Soviet era lenses used a type of lubricant that actually attracts fungus and holds moisture. That mineral oil they used back then just sits there waiting for spores. I spent two days carefully cleaning the glass with hydrogen peroxide and alcohol, and it actually cleared up better than I expected. The shutter still sticks, but the lens is usable now. Has anyone else run into weird lubricant issues with older cameras?

2 comments

2 Comments

logan_schmidt6d ago

Had the same issue with a Pentax Spotmatic I picked up at an estate sale. The old grease in the helicoid had basically turned into glue and was trapping moisture against the rear element. Took me a few hours with isopropyl alcohol and q-tips to get all the gunk out. Ended up relubing with a tiny amount of white lithium grease on the focusing threads. Works smooth now and no more fungus problems. The hydrogen peroxide trick is the best thing I've found for cleaning the actual glass though.

amy3026d ago

Been there with a Yashica Mat, @logan_schmidt, that peroxide trick saved me too.